My family is starting to build a house. We have pretty much settled on Hardie board for the outside. The builder gave us an estimate of $26,000 to paint the exterior (which seems high to me). Although we found a color of Hardie board that we like, he says you still have to paint it - a primer and two coats. He says that if you don't paint it, the nails and caulk in the gap between the ends of the boards will show.
How bad would it look if the nails and caulk aren't painted?